Your right to receive Indefinite Leave to Remain depends on the type of visa you have and how long you have lived in the UK. Some visa categories include:

• Investor & entrepreneur visa
• Skilled Worker visa
• Ancestry visa
• Representative of an Overseas Business visa
• EU settlement scheme (settled and pre-settled status)

The type of visa you hold will determine how long you must spend in the UK before you can apply for ILR. As immigration experts, this is an area we can help you understand to ensure you submit an application at a time that can increase your chances of success.

For most applicants, you will need to have lived in the UK for 5 years continuously and satisfy the other elements of the visa criteria, such as financial and salary requirements.

However, if you have a tier 1 visa (investors and entrepreneurs) it may be as short as 2-3 years. Applicants with an Innovator or Global Talent visa usually only have to wait for 3 years.

If you are granted Indefinite Leave to Remain you can live, work and study in the UK without the need to apply for a visa. You can also: 

• Register children born in the UK as British citizens 
• See future children automatically become British citizens  
• Sponsor certain family members to join you in the UK 
• Apply to naturalise as a British citizen  

Even if you can’t apply for ILR right now, we can help you apply at a later date, or explore other options that could help you remain in the UK. 

At Expert Law we know that every immigration case is unique, which is why we take the time to understand your situation to provide appropriate guidance that adds value to your application. From investors and entrepreneurs, to senior executives and sportspeople, we know how important it is to have clarity on your immigration status and our team work hard to make your application process as easy and straightforward as possible.

Call us today for a confidential chat on 0203 778 1347 or contact us here to see how our solicitors can help.